Table Advice

[marktgorman]

I am looking for a tailgate mounted table for my JL. I have looked at the FrontRunner (which is pricey) and see a few others out there. Any suggestions? I think my main concern is if it'll rattle on the highway and the fewer holes I have to drill the better. Or is it easier to just carry a small table like a GCI with me? It'll mainly will be used for car camping (I mean overlanding) and occasionally getting ready for a mountain bike ride or something.

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[GATORB8]

Definitely recommend a tailgate table. We use it all the time for quick trail stops and snacks, and it's way easier than setting up a camp table.

We just have the cheap RC one and have no complaints.

 

[SilentBanshee424]

I wanted the Trailgater table but I watched the price go up and up since I first looked at it and instead went for the Rough Country one as well. I figured if it broke, I'd get the Trailgater then. It hasn't broken in 9 months and while I don't use it super often, when I have, it has been so so convenient. I ride bike a lot and use it to put my tools on when adjusting something or I'll put my burner on it to make coffee in the morning while camping. It's not necessary, but it's very useful and for $90, why not.

Also, very important to me, absolutely no rattles. I live on a washboard dirt road and even after 9 months of driving on it daily, no rattles. Very very happy with it.

 

[calemasters]

I have the Mopar tailgate table. It was easy to install and no rattles.

 

[Rustynail11]

I would have purchased the Tailgater or another one of the more expensive ones but was gifted the Rough Country. I have zero complaints. It doesn't rattle at all and have used it numerous times and it does it's job. My only wish is it had a slide out to extend the work surface like some others but can manage without it

 

[Matanzas]

I got one like the CGI from Mountain Summit Gear. I like that I am not tied to the Jeep if I need a table. Sometimes people are jammed in nose to tail on the trail. Also it’s great for random reasons: home cookouts, tools when working, beach, yard, etc.

 

[STW]

I use the American Adventure Labs Versatable.
Key things I was looking for:
1) no rattles. So far zero rattles in a year and multiple trips.
2) one-handed operation. I use this a lot for small conveniences because it's so easy--press one button with your thumb and same hand lowers it. Just push it up and it clicks in place. Quick and easy to use means I get a lot of value out of it.
3) aluminum and lightweight for what it is. It replaces the stock plastic tailgate cover so that's a bit of weight saving too.
4) good looking quality and toughness. This is a permanent install for most people since you don't remove a tailgate table when you get home from a trip. From experience I found it was worth it to me for it to be something I liked living with day to day in a daily driver.

The wood is useful for food prep/cutting board, but also makes it look good. (Bamboo is lightweight, very strong, and more impervious to water than most.)

From experience I found wood is quieter to use. Not having any clanking or scraping is good for late night tasks in a quiet camp spot or making coffee in the early morning.

I also found from experience I didn't want a slide-out extension coming out the side. I can see how that's useful for some folks cooking, but I found my own uses favored quick deployment and simplicity.

I tried a couple other tailgate tables before I settled on the AAL Versatable. One advertised it was aluminum but was actually steel, so it was heavy for the simple thing it was. It required two hands to open/close and the cable got in the way.

The Versatable is on the expensive side but I think it's a value for what it is, and well worth it. I also lost money trying out other tables first, so I would have saved by thinking through it more first.

The Verasatable install didn't require any drilling. Instructions were ok, but the illustrations were hard to see and interpret, so check out youtube install videos to help. The Versatable includes a built in LED work light you wire into the rear DC port.

here's my review:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...gate-table-recommendations.99324/post-2055314

they come in powdercoat colors too:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...gate-table-recommendations.99324/post-2068475

Like most people with a tailgate table, I also carry another camping table on trips where it's worth setting one up. A tailgate table means you have a quick easy table for any quick stop, plus you have an extra work surface when using your other table in camp.

 

[nU7OuxIx]

I have the rough country one the others mentioned. I have zero rattles after about a year and a half. Price was right compared to others. I am happy with it and recommend it without a doubt.

Only thing is pay attention during the install. There's a few videos out there that show you how to install it. They give you extra parts that you don't need. I also did something weird during the install where it wouldn't latch properly. I forget what it was, maybe change out a spacer? Just pay attention to the install.

I also remember there being a sharp wire sticking out where the braided/steel cable is. I think I put some shrink wrap on it just to prevent me from getting cut in the middle of the forest.

 

[manapiko]

We got the Rock Slide table and love the double levels. We use it a ton for camping and ski trips. Burners on the top, prep space below. It's super simple to install and very basic.

I'll say other tables are more "solid" or have some nice wood and metal. For us, it was pure functionality, so we sacrificed on the looks a bit.

 

[longfiredragon]

I looked at all of them. Some are stupidly priced but do seem like they would be nice.

Me I like well made that will do the job. We use ours every time we go off road.

I got the RC it does the job just fine. Nicely powder coated, spring loaded clasps, rubber bumpers placed perfectly so no rattle's what so ever. Had it for around a year $85.

If you have a bigger budget go for a more expensive one, but RC did a nice job and it's priced right.

 

[ArmyRN]

There are multiple threads started regarding tailgate tables; some of them are quite long. They all eventually talk about the same half-dozen tailgate tables. Prices go from the cheapest (Rough Country) to the most expensive ones costing hundreds of dollars. Some are $500 or more!

So I read them all. Looked at the pictures and what you get for your money. I would like the wood slide-outs.

But I'm kinda on a self-imposed budget. Too many things I want to get for my JLU (23 Willys XR 2.0T). Gotta prioritize what I'm willing to spend on what - can't get top shelf stuff for everything. I'm driving the Jeep from WA to FL (and back) later this summer and want to camp along the way (and cook on the tailgate). It should hold my Gas One stove just fine.

So ten minutes ago I ordered the Rough Country tailgate table. I watched the install video (well done video I thought). Looks easy to install. Now i need to find those cup inserts for the round holes someone mentioned on another thread (please give me the link if you know it). Seems like they got them from a boat place.

 

[GATORB8]

There are multiple threads started regarding tailgate tables; some of them are quite long. They all eventually talk about the same half-dozen tailgate tables. Prices go from the cheapest (Rough Country) to the most expensive ones costing hundreds of dollars. Some are $500 or more!

So I read them all. Looked at the pictures and what you get for your money. I would like the wood slide-outs.

But I'm kinda on a self-imposed budget. Too many things I want to get for my JLU (23 Willys XR 2.0T). Gotta prioritize what I'm willing to spend on what - can't get top shelf stuff for everything. I'm driving the Jeep from WA to FL (and back) later this summer and want to camp along the way (and cook on the tailgate). It should hold my Gas One stove just fine.

So ten minutes ago I ordered the Rough Country tailgate table. I watched the install video (well done video I thought). Looks easy to install. Now i need to find those cup inserts for the round holes someone mentioned on another thread (please give me the link if you know it). Seems like they got them from a boat place.

May not bother you, but I purposely didn’t put any cooking equipment in the galley of the off road camper I built. I have a collapsing camp table for the grill so I can get it further away from the trailer/Jeep so I don’t have to worry about the smell lingering from cooking,

 

[SaintNick]

I have the most expensive one. I have Goose Gear. Is it worth the price? Probably not. Does it function well? Yes. No rattles. My favorite feature over the Trailgater is I can open it with my hands full. No pin to pull. Very well built.

 

[ArmyRN]

Tailgate table arrived quickly from RC, and today I installed it. Very straight forward install - I linked the install video previously (post #11 above). Four simple holes to drill in the factory plastic tailgate fascia - if I were to remove the tailgate table I doubt you'd notice the holes. No glitches, no cussing, no bleeding. They accidently sent me two install kits (better than the install kit missing). In the closed position, it sticks out 1.75" from the tail gate; 2" if you count the two small areas at the top where the latches are located. I am very pleased with it; I think it will work out for me just fine. There are two rubber bumpers that hold it snug when latched- no rattles. You can see them in the first picture below (one is in front of the cut-out Jeep's front tire). Not too crazy about the two cup holes on either front corner, but it isn't a showstopper. The holes measure 2 & 7/8" across.

Does it fit my stove(s)? Here's a picture with my Gas-One dual fuel stove. Sometimes I use the butane cylinder ("hair spray" as some call it), and other times I'll use a green one-pound propane cylinder. Fits just fine with room to spare either way. I guess I could put some cups in the front holes to hold cooking utensils while cooking.

How about my two-burner Coleman propane stove? Not the best set-up. It'll work, but you've gotta pull the wind screen in some, and the propane cylinder is hanging instead of resting on the table. I'd rather it not hang - puts stress on the metal hose/pipe. You can slide the stove all the way over, really collapse the wind screen on the non-propane side and the cylinder will just fit on the table, but that might limit you some as to how large a pot/pan (diameter) you can put on the burners. And there's zero room left on the table for utensils and such either way. I wouldn't recommend a two-burner stove like my Coleman propane stove with this set-up. (My Coleman stove is "clean" but looks dirty; I should go over it with a S.O.S. pad tomorrow to shine it up). Usually I'm overlanding solo, and I only bring the one-burner stove, so for me this really isn't an issue. But I thought I'd post a picture with the Coleman just to see how it would work. I guess I/you could spend a couple hundred dollars more for different model tailgate table with a slide-out from underneath the table for the propane cylinder to sit on and more room for food prep. But I think this RC one will fit my needs just fine with money to spare.

On my TJ I converted the tailgate to a drop-down tailgate and would cook on that. I never had any issues with cooking smells inside the Jeep afterwards. In my overlanding trailer I've also got a small folding table I'd sometimes use for cooking on if I was feeling fancy or if the weather was bad and I wanted to cook under the awning.

I've also got one of those Tailgater tire tables. I was kind-of a vendor at Overland East once a couple years ago and got a very good vendor-discount deal on it. I used it once. It worked as advertised. But it is somewhat large and bulky to transport/store. And do I really want to be cooking and maybe eating right beside one of my Jeeps tires? I know where they've been (yuck). So it is sitting in my shop collecting dust.

 

[wibornz]

I use this tailgate table from Amazon. It is $64 and does not rattle. Super easy to install. It has been in the Jeep for about 100,000 miles with thousands of mile off roading. and camping.

Amazon Tailgate Table

Buy what you want, but there is really no reason other than saying you have this or that for a tailgate table. Use the money you saved from not buying a expensive table to go wheeling.

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